#We Stand Together against terrorism

by Nadeem Badshah

FOUNDATION HELPS VICTIMS OF MANCHESTER ARENA TRAGEDY

Britain has experienced a series of terrorist attacks in recent months. The Westminster attack was followed by the Manchester Arena blast in which a bomb detonated by Salman Abedi killed 23 people and injured dozens at a concert by singer Ariana Grande. The London Bridge and Finsbury Park mosque episodes then came afterwards.

Survivors in Manchester and family members of those who died there are beginning the process of rebuilding their lives.

The Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace, based in Warrington in Cheshire, supports victims of terror attacks around the world with counselling and advice.

It has supported 117 people affected by the atrocity in Manchester on May 22.

Nick Taylor, CEO of the organisation, told Eastern Eye the attack had fostered a stronger community sprit in the city, among people from different backgrounds.

He said: “We saw some amazing things take place on the night of the incident; taxi drivers giving people free lifts, people offering their homes to people stranded.

“Heroic tales of how people reacted; days after, people coming together from different communities and faiths sharing food.

“A lot of that has continued, like the Big Iftar in Manchester. Inevitably there is a drift back towards a normality with the exception of the Arena, which is not likely to open until September.

“We still face major challenges and lots of communities still fighting to come to terms with what’s happening, ongoing investigations affecting people, so there is still a level of destabilisation as well.”

The foundation is backing the #We Stand Together social media campaign to unite communities and will be attending events in Yorkshire and north west England.

Part of their work involves helping victims to deal with the painful emotions they are suffering.

Taylor added: “First, people who want information, contacts, support; they may be feeling angry or upset; crying, in fear, or sleepless. What we provide is a level of reassurance.

“We say it’s early days, these are usual feelings, we are there for them.

“Others may have had pre-existing conditions, with an addiction or an anxiety disorder that was already prevalent and is likely to have been exacerbated.

“We have a number of bereaved cases and more referrals of those who were witnesses rather than directly impacted by a physical injury.”

He added: “They receive a level of clinical care, welfare support and social support. We have a network of people affected by similar events.

“Everyone is referred to professional caseworker. They get a care plan particular to their physical needs that follows NHS guidelines.

“People are very resilient and do bounce back from these things.”

The centre was set up in memory of Tim Parry, 12, who died in the Warrington bombing in 1993, and three-year-old Johnathan Ball, who died in an IRA attack.

Taylor said the reaction of the community in Manchester after the Arena bombing was different from that in London last month, where three men ploughed into pedestrians before going on a knife rampage in Borough Market.

“The difference is because of the way it was carried out in Manchester, targeting young people in an entertainment venue in a concentrated venue.

“It had a different community feel, it was a different reaction from an international and cosmopolitan city like London.

“What happened on London Bridge and Borough market, it was mainly international visitors.

"Something was different in the demographic. Many of those in Manchester were not from the city, they were from other areas in the north.”

The charity was set up because of a lack of support for victims of IRA bombings in the UK. The

group has supported survivors of the 7/7 bombings in London in July 2005 and victims of the attacks at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris in November 2016.

Lisa French, who survived the 7/7 bombing in Tavistock Square, London, said she first came across the centre in 2008.

She said: "I am a survivor. I have always seen myself as a survivor, but without the foundation's help I could easily have become a victim.

"As a survivor of 7/7, my greatest desire is that no-one else should ever have to endure what we did that day or have to live with the effects as we do.

"Not only does the foundation support and empower us, but it enables us to be able to take a direct role in preventing terrorism. For me, these are my most healing days.

"From the other survivors I have learned I am not alone."